Foot actuated toilet device

ABSTRACT

A device that may be removably mounted, without the use of hand tools, on a water reservoir tank associated with a toilet to convert the latter from hand to foot operation. The device includes an elongate vertically positioned supporting assembly that by the use of a hook and thumb screw is held in a fixed position on the reservoir tank. A spring loaded rod is slidably supported from the assembly for vertical movement, with the rod on a lower end supporting a foot pedal. The upper end of the rod supports an inverted channel shaped member, which member when the rod is moved downwardly by a force applied to the pedal, pivots a valve controlled handle of the toilet to a flushing position. When pressure is released from the pedal the spring loaded rod is moved upwardly and disposes the channel shaped member in a position where it remains in engagement with the handle as the latter returns to a non-flushing position but exerts no substantial force on the handle, and the handle after returning to a non-flushing position so remaining until the device is again actuated by foot pressure.

United States Patent [1 1 Wittman FOOT ACTUATED TOILET DEVICE [76] Inventor: Arthur W. Wittman, 12301 S.

Woodruff, Downey, Calif. 90241 [22] Filed: Apr. 12, 1974 [2]] Appl. No.: 460,422

[52] U.S. Cl. 4/249; 4/108; 49/263;

220/262; 251/295 [51] Int. Cl. E03d 5/08 [58] Field of Search 4/1, 70, 87, 92, 108, 249,

4/251, 272; 220/262264; 49/263, 272; 292/DIG. 25, DIG. 71

Primary Examiner.lohn W. l-luckert Assistant Examiner-Stuart S. Levy Attorney, Agent, or FirmW. C. Babcock A i/L [451 May 20, 1975 [57] ABSTRACT A device that may be removably mounted, without the use of hand tools, on a water reservoir tank associated with a toilet to convert the latter from hand to foot operation. The device includes an elongate vertically positioned supporting assembly that by the use of a hook and thumb screw is held in a fixed position on the reservoir tank. A spring loaded rod is slidably supported from the assembly for vertical movement, with the rod on a lower end supporting a foot pedal. The upper end of the rod supports an inverted channel shaped member, which member when the rod is moved downwardly by a force applied to the pedal, pivots a valve controlled handle of the toilet to a flushing position. When pressure is released from the pedal the spring loaded rod is moved upwardly and disposes the channel shaped member in a position where it remains in engagement with the handle as the latter returns to a non-flushing position but exerts no substantial force on the handle, and the handle after returning to a non-flushing position so remaining until the device is again actuated by foot pressure.

2 Claims, 5' Drawing Figures M a et il FOOT ACTUATED TOILET DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION ply a device that may be easily mounted on a water reservoir of a toilet commode without the use of hand tools to convert the toilet from hand to foot operation.

A further object of the present invention is to supply a device in which the mechanical elements thereof are exposed and are conveniently located for any repair, adjustment, or replacement that may be necessary due to prolonged usage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A supporting assembly that includes a hook and thumb screw, which assembly by use of the last mentioned elements may be removably positioned on a water reservoir of a handle controlled toilet to convert the toilet from hand to foot operation. The assembly slidably supports a vertically positioned rod, which rod by spring means tends at all times to assume a first position. The rod on a lower end supports a foot engageable pedal. The rod on the upper end supports a member that at all times remains in engagement with the handle, and the member being moved into pressure contact with the handle to pivot the latter to a flushing position when the rod is moved downwardly to a second position by force applied to the foot actuated pedal.

The device has an extremely simple mechanical structure, requires a minimum of maintenance attention, and may easily be mounted on a toilet reservoir by a person having ordinary mechanical skill and without the use of hand tools.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional toilet commode having a water reservoir tank on which a pivotally movable handle is mounted for controlling a flushing valve (not shown) and the device when so mounted converting the toilet from hand to foot operation;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the device taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the device;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the device and illustrating the manner by which the latter is removably supported on a reservoir tank with the cover of the tank being removed therefrom; and

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention A as may best be seen in FIG. 1 is mounted on a water reservoir B that is operatively associated with a toilet commode C of a conventional present day design. Flushing of water from the reservoir B into the commode C is accomplished by pivoting a handle D that projects outwardly from the reservoir B. The flushing is accomplished when the handle D is pivoted from a first position shown in FIG. 1 to a second position (not shown).

The invention A includes a vertically positionable supporting assembly E, which assembly comprises a hollow rigid elongate body 10 that on the upper end thereof has a hook 12 secured thereto, which hook may be caused to engage the upper horizontal edge portion 14 of a first end wall 16 that partially defines the reservoir D. The book 12 is relatively thin and is disposed within a space (not shown) defined between the upper edge portion 14 of the tank B and the interior wall surface of a flange 18 that forms a part of a cover F. The cover F is normally supported in a horizontal position on the upper part of the reservoir B. The body 10 has vertically spaced upper and lower horizontal brackets 20 and 22 projecting forwardly therefrom as shown in FIG. 1, and the brackets having vertically aligned bores 20a and 22a formed therein.

The body 10 has a horizontal arm 24 secured to the lower portion thereof, which arm extends under the bottom 26 of the reservoir tank B. The arm 24 has a tapped bore 28 formed thereon as shown in FIG. 2, which bore is engaged by a thumb screw 30. When the thumb screw 30 is tightened to pressure contact with the bottom 26 of the reservoir tank B, the assembly A is held in a fixed position on the reservoir tank due to the thumb screw 28 and hook 12 being forced into pressure contact with the bottom and upper edge portion of the end wall. 16 respectively.

The brackets 20 and 22 serve to slidably support an inverted L-shaped rod 32 that is defined by a first vertically disposed leg 32a and a second horizontal leg 32b. The lower end of the first leg 32a supports a forwardly extending foot engagable pedal 34.

The second leg 3217 supports a horizontal, inverted, channel shaped member 36 that is adjacently disposed to the handle D when the handle D is in the nonflushing position shown in FIG. 1. Upon the pedal 34 being subjected to downward movement by a foot of a user (not shown), the rod 32 is movedfrom a first position to a second position, with the member 36 concurrently moving downwardly and pivoting the handle D to a flushing position.

A tensioned helical spring 38 is provided that has a lower end 39a thereof secured to the leg 32a, and an upper end 38b of the spring being secured to a lower portion of the body 10. The spring 38 is tensioned and has sufficient resiliency to maintain the member 36 in light engaging contact with the handle D, but without sufficient force to pivot the handle D from the nonflushing position shown in FIG. 1 to a flushing position.

However, when downward force is exerted on the pedal 34 by a foot of a user (not shown) the spring 38 is further tensioned and permits the rod 32 and member 36 to move downwardly concurrently to pivot the handle D to a flushing position. When pressure is released from the pedal 34, the resiliency of the spring returns the rod 32 and member 36 to the position illustrated in FIG. 1 and allows the handle D to pivot clockwise as viewed in FIG. 1 to a non-flushing position.

It will be apparent that when it is desired to remove the assembly A from the reservoir B, the cover F is removed from the reservoir tank B, the thumb screw 30 loosened, and the arm 28 then slid from under the bottom 26. After the arm 24 has been so disengaged, the invention A may then be raised upwardly as a whole relative to the reservoir tank B to disengage the hook 12 from the upper edge portion 14 of end wall 16. The cover F is then returned to the normal position on the reservoir B as shown in FIG. 1. When it is desired to mount the invention A on a reservoir B as shown in FIG. 1 the above described operation is simply reversed.

The use and operation of the invention A has been described previously in detail and need not be repeated.

I claim:

1. In combination with a toilet having a tank that pivotally supports a flushing lever, said tank including a bottom and a first vertical end wall adjacent said lever and said first wall having an upper horizontal edge, a foot operated device removably mountable on said tank for flushing said toilet, said device including:

a. a support assembly that includes an elongated body vertically disposed adjacent said first end wall, a hook mounted on the upper end of said body that engages said upper edge of said first end wall to support said body in a vertical position therefrom, an arm extending outwardly from said body, a thumb screw that engages a tapped bore in said arm, and said thumb screw when rotated in an appropriate direction in said tapped bore moving into pressure contact with said bottom to hold said assembly in a fixed position on said tank;

b. upper and lower vertically spaced brackets that project outwardly from said body and have vertically aligned bores formed therein;

0. an inverted L-shaped rod that includes first and second legs, said first leg slidably supported in said bores for vertical movement relative said tank, and said second leg disposed above said flushing lever;

d. first means on said second leg for pressure engaging said flushing lever and rotating it to a flushing position when said rod is moved downwardly relative to said body;

e. a pedal that may be engaged by a foot of a user, said pedal secured to said first leg and disposed at an elevated position above the floor on which said toilet rests; and

f. spring means having first and second ends, with said first end secured to said body and said second end to each rod, said spring means at all times tending to maintain said rod in a first position where said first means is adjacently disposed to and in engagement with said handle when the latter is in a non-flushing position, with said spring means capable of being temporarily deformed by a downward force exerted on said pedal to allow said rod and said first means to move downwardly to a second position and said handle to a flushing position, and said spring means moving said rod to said first position when said force is released from said pedal.

2. The device as defined in a claim 1 in which said that engages said handle. 

1. In combination with a toilet having a tank that pivotally supports a flushing lever, said tank including a bottom and a first vertical end wall adjacent said lever and said first wall having an upper horizontal edge, a foot operated device removably mountable on said tank for flushing said toilet, said device including: a. a support assembly that includes an elongated body vertically disposed adjacent said first end wall, a hook mounted on the upper end of said body that engages said upper edge of said first end wall to support said body in a vertical position therefrom, an arm extending outwardly from said body, a thumb screw that engages a tapped bore in said arm, and said thumb screw when rotated in an appropriate direction in said tapped bore moving into pressure contact with said bottom to hold said assembly in a fixed position on said tank; b. upper and lower vertically spaced brackets that project outwardly from said body and have vertically aligned bores formed therein; c. an inverted L-shaped rod that includes first and second legs, said first leg slidably supported in said bores for vertical movement relative said tank, and said second leg disposed above said flushing lever; d. first means on said second leg for pressure engaging said flushing lever and rotating it to a flushing position when said rod is moved downwardly relative to said body; e. a pedal that may be engaged by a foot of a user, said pedal secured to said first leg and disposed at an elevated position above the floor on which said toilet rests; and f. spring means having first and second ends, with said first end secured to said body and said second end to each rod, said spring means at all times tending to maintain said rod in a first position where said first means is adjacently disposed to and in engagement with said handle when the latter is in a nonflushing position, with said spring means capable of being temporarily deformed by a downward force exerted on said pedal to allow said rod and said first means to move downwardly to a second position and said handle to a flushing position, and said spring means moving said rod to said first position when said force is released from said pedal.
 2. The device as defined in a claim 1 in which said first means is in an inverted channel shaped member that engages said handle. 